Nooks+vs.+Kindles

=__Nooks and Kindles: Making the Choice__= When comparing be sure to compare corresponding models. The VBCPS Dept. of Technology will not approve a Nook Color or a Kindle Fire at this time. Some comparisons online: Video Comparison of Nook Touch and Kindle 3 (VERY thorough comparison) Geek.Com Comparison of Kindle Fire and Nook Color Wikipedia Comparison Bottom Line- - Price of device is close. (in apples to apples comparisons) - Battery life is great for both (Turn wifi off.) - Nooks accomodate more formats including ePubs. Both Nooks and Kindles allow the use of Overdrive, book checkout from many public libraries. Support- in person and store support (Barnes and Noble) vs online and phone support (Amazon) Security- Amazon- you do not need to have a credit card on your account and you can even "buy" free books without a credit card. Barnes and Noble- you always have to have a credit card (it can be a low limit prepaid credit card) and whatever card you use to make a purchase has to remain as the default credit card until that book is downloaded to the device. With Amazon, the credit card can be removed as soon as the book is purchased and can then be downloaded at any time. This is helpful if your devices are out in the field.

Let your purpose guide your decision!
- Examine current features, and think of your target audience. If there are no feature differences that impact your decision, then consider price and support. For example,if you are targeting at risk readers, you might consider a Kindle with the Text-To- Speech capability (I am reading from users the Kindle Fire and Touch series does NOT have this but haven't seen that confirmed), that that is a feature that you need to consider.I recommend listening to it. I know a lot of teachers that love it, but I know others that feel the computer-generated voice is not accurate enough. Not all books are text-to-speech enabled. Another feature that is only available if you are following "old" Amazon rules (the one account for 6 kindles) for registering devices and purchasing content is that students (a goup of 6) could add notes and bookmarks and then sync their devices (they share an account remember) to share their notes which could facilitate a study group discussion, a book club, or a literature circle. The Nook does not allow syncing of notes across devices

Book Price Comparison
(From June 21, 2011) For this price comparison, the middle and high school VA Readers' Choice 2011 books were used. (From Nov. 13, 2011) For this price comparison, the [|YALSA's Top 10 Best Fiction for Young Adults] were used.
 * Book || Amazon || B&N ||
 * Bystander || 7.99 || 7.99 ||
 * Chasin Lincoln's Killer || NA || NA ||
 * The Leanin' Dog || NA || NA ||
 * Mockingbird || 6.99 || 6.99 ||
 * Out of My Mind || 13.99 || 13.99 ||
 * Pop || NA || NA ||
 * The Rock and the River || 5.99 || 5.99 ||
 * The Strange Case of Origami Yoda || NA || NA ||
 * Ways to Live Forever || NA || NA ||
 * When the Whistle Blows || 6.99 || 6.99 ||
 * Because I am furniture || NA || NA ||
 * The Knife of Never Letting Go || 7.69 || 7.99 ||
 * Marcelo in the Real World || 7.01 || 7.19 ||
 * The Orange Houses || 13.99 || 13.99 ||
 * The Red Necklace || 8.99 || 8.99 ||
 * Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty || NA || NA ||
 * Boot Camp || 5.99 || 5.99 ||
 * After || 8,99 || 8.99 ||
 * Book || Amazon || B&N ||
 * Ship Breaker || 8.99 || 8.99 ||
 * Revolution || 9.99 || 9.99 ||
 * Finnikin of the Rock || 7.69 || 7.99 ||
 * Amy and Roger's Epic Detour || 9.99 || 9.99 ||
 * Hold Me Closer, Necromancer || 9.99 || 9.99 ||
 * Trash || 8.99 || 8.99 ||
 * Bamboo People || NA || NA ||
 * The Things a Brother Knows || 8.99 || 8.99 ||
 * Last Night I Sang to the Monster || 8.99 || NA ||
 * Revolver || 8.99 || 8.99 ||